Bernardo Poncini (1814-1874) was a Swiss architect and sculptor. He is notable for his work in Uruguay and Argentina in the mid 19th century.
Born in
Ticino
Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
, he studied in Milan, at the
Brera Academy
The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera (), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's main public mu ...
.
He was active in
Montevideo
Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
from 1857 till 1863, taking part in several important works:
*
Cathedral of Montevideo (refurbishing, 1858)
*
Independence Square, adding Doric orders (1860)
*
Central Cemetery of Montevideo, rotunda (1859-1863)
*
Maciel Hospital, wing facing Guaraní Street, respecting the Neoclassical style of José Toribio (1859).
In Argentina he was active in
Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos
Gualeguaychú is a city in the , on the left bank of the Gualeguaychú River (a tributary of the Uruguay River). It is located on the south-east of the province, approximately 230 km north-west of Buenos Aires. It has a population of 109,266 ...
, building its
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
.
References
1814 births
1874 deaths
Swiss expatriates in Uruguay
Architects from Ticino
Uruguayan architects
19th-century Swiss architects
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